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Chancellor Merkel: Only found out about the spying after a media inquiry
Photo: Michael Kappeler / AFP
After joint research by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) with the NDR, the WDR, the »Süddeutsche Zeitung« (SZ) and other media, Denmark's secret service apparently helped the US National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on European politicians.
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and today's Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Peer Steinbrück (both SPD) are said to have been among the targets of the spying.
It was already known that the NSA had spied on politicians in Germany.
In 2013, DER SPIEGEL revealed that the US secret service had monitored Merkel's cell phone.
Until now, however, it was not known that the neighboring country of Denmark apparently supported the USA in spying.
According to the research, the Danish foreign and military intelligence service FE is said to have enabled the NSA to use a secret listening station near Copenhagen.
According to the information, there is an Internet hub there, which the secret services are apparently tapping into.
The Danish government supposedly knew about the surveillance of neighboring European countries since 2015 at the latest, when the so-called Dunhammer Report was created.
In the secret report, experts had described in response to the revelations of the whistleblower Edward Snowden how far the Danish secret service had cooperated with the NSA.
The Danish government apparently also learned that its own secrets were helping to wiretap leading politicians from Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, France and Germany.
In an interview with NDR, WDR and SZ, Peer Steinbrück said that he only found out about the wiretapping of his person through research.
"Politically, I think that's a scandal," said Steinbrück, according to "Tagesschau.de".
He does believe that western states also need functional and efficient intelligence services.
But this type of wiretapping between partners shows "that they have quite a life of their own."
The federal government apparently also knew nothing.
A government spokesman said in an interview with the media involved: "The subject of your research became known to the Federal Chancellor through your inquiry."
Steinmeier also stated that he had "no knowledge" of possible surveillance by the Danish secret service.
Wow
